I am chiefly interested in how we still see racism in our daily lives. But I am more intrigued to see how we separate racism from stereotype and if more often than not the word racism is used as a charge when someone is merely stereotyping. Clearly stereotyping is not something to be proud of but I do feel it is something inherently human that we all do, no matter how hard we try to avoid it. Perhaps one of the most universal examples of this at Rhodes is stereotyping by Greek affiliation. Often, though, if you stereotype someone by the way they dress, speak, or carry themselves and that person happens to be of a different color than you then that is considered racism. I am not so sure that truly is racism. I do not see how it is that much different than stereotyping by geographic location, for example.
I feel the friend who locked the doors as black students passed by was committing an act of racism. These students did not appear to be of a “thuggish” nature and were not even that close to the vehicle. I believe he was reacting to skin color. If these students happened to look like the hoodlum image the news perpetuates then it may have possibly been stereotyping rather than racism. I also feel the man who referred to me as a “white boy” was being somewhat racist. But more often than not I think the coldness I receive when volunteering is more of a perception that I am judging or something of that nature, rather than a reaction to my skin color.
I just find it engrossing to think about how we make distinctions between what constitutes racism and what constitutes old-fashioned stereotypes. Comedians often make jokes that can be perceived as racist but they also often point out general truths. How we separate pure racism from stereotyping is not clear to me.
To me, racism is a more hateful, purposeful action than stereotyping. Stereotyping is generally classifying specific features and actions to a particular group of people. Stereotypes were not developed out of hate; they were commonly held beliefs. Racism is the belief that a person is above another because of their difference in race or appearance. Racism is more of a hurtful, intentional action rather than simply stating what the majority of people believe. However, it is hard to distinguish where the line is drawn because in both instances, an individual is being judged based on his or her relativity to a group. Also, it is difficult to determine if this person is being judged because of someone’s pride in himself or because he believes he is genetically better than someone else.
ReplyDeleteI think in the situation with the friend, there may be a little bit of racism. Although it does not seem intentional, he is making an unfair judgment about that group of boys simply because they are black. He is separating himself from them because he thinks he is unsafe because of their skin color. The issue with the older black man does not seem as racist to me. Even though the man may have emphasized that Cecil was a white boy trying to aid him, the main reason behind is refusal of help seems like it is more because he is too proud and because of his personal situation.
Your last sentence is quite valid, Cecil. It is safe to say that racism and stereotyping are very different things, which is why we usually are able to recognize one from the other. I think the greater question is whether or not we define racism and racial stereotyping separately, and if we do, how the later can be justified as not being a form of actual racism. Immediately coming to mind as I read this was the website http://microaggressions.com. A microagression, as defined by Wikipedia, is “the idea that specific interactions between those of different races, cultures, or genders can be interpreted as non-physical aggression” (wikipedia.org). These interactions highlight the indirect forms of racism that are perpetuated through daily conversation and behavior. A prime example I have is an incident that happened to me over the summer at a party, the most fitting arena for topics of race and sexuality to be discussed. My friend’s brother’s girlfriend, who is white, asked, “Are you mixed?” This didn’t offend me because I get asked this question a lot by, well, a lot of different people. I answer, and she concluded with the following: “I guess it’s a blessing that you’re light-skinned.” Straight face, genuine sincerity in her voice, she was completely absent-minded of what she said. She quickly realized she had said something wrong and proceeded to say that she wasn’t racist and had “went to a high school where half the kids were black.” Oh O.K. Furthermore, why would me being light-skinned be a blessing to her? If that isn’t microaggressive music to my ears, I truly don’t know what is.
ReplyDeleteUnderstandings of minorities are shaped in different ways and are dependent upon a variety of factors. Unfortunately, racial stereotypes play a large role in that understanding, no matter how exposed you are. It’s hard for me to sympathize with those who hold poorly contrived assumptions of race, as well as people who have dismissed or denied the experience of the minority. Yet people are very quick to defend their understanding of what it means to “not be racist.” It’s not o.k. Racism comes in many forms- overt and subtle, guided by expectation and void of it, conscious and unaware. Defining it broadly in today’s society seems primitive to me. Should people be held accountable for their understanding and sincerity of “the other” as it is defined by race, gender, sexuality, etc.? I would have to say yes.
I agree that people should be held accountable for their mental representations of minorities. It also does seem that almost all people, racist or not, possess racial stereotypes after any amount of exposure to these conventional images. The same holds for gender, age, and religious stereotypes. It is difficult to put an end to this exposure, for stereotypes, especially racial stereotypes, are embedded in the media. Last week, Professor McKinney brought up the question of how blacks should be represented in mass media. This is an extremely controversial issue, as many representations misconstrue the African American race by overemphasizing the stereotypes associated with African Americans. These representations only increase the adoption of racial stereotypes in America.
ReplyDeleteIt seems that racial stereotypes perpetuate racism, and I think there is a fine line between these two concepts. A stereotype is defined as a popular belief about some specific group or types on individuals. Racism is the belief that all members of a race possess characteristics or abilities specific to that race (especially so as to distinguish it as inferior or superior to another race or races). Given these two definitions, racial stereotypes could be considered as widespread racism. While I feel it is important to consider how African Americans should be represented in mass media, I am unsure whether it would be possible to successfully implement any answer at this point.
Being a white female currently living in Memphis, I am constantly warned about the dangers of wandering down the wrong street at night or walking home. I think we stereotype people because it is what is engrained in all of us. The best example of stereotyping was done by campus safety last year. One of my classmates showed up 30 minutes late to class. She was an African American student who was dropped off outside the gates of Rhodes Campus by her husband. She was running late, so she ran in through the front entrance of campus. Running past the guard without saying anything made him call an alarm. Within 5 minutes she said that 3 other campus safety officers surrounded her and asked what she was doing her. She tried to explain that she was a student but they didn't believe her and asked her to show a form of identification. Not having anything on her, they took her back to the campus safety office and had to look through their records to find her. I have to believe that if this were a white boy or girl this would have never happened. We stereotype people without attempting to be racist but it some how always plays off that we are indeed committing acts of racism.
ReplyDeleteAfter reading the previous examples of the role of racism and stereotypes in our daily lives, it led me to call into question not only the role of racism but also how prevalent the idea of race itself is in our daily lives. The clearest example I can think to explain myself comes in the form of a storytelling. Say for example that I begin to tell a story of how I met a doctor. Those of us, including myself, who are members of the Caucasian race typically, picture a Caucasian doctor. Now, we are all well aware that in the health care professional field there are members of many different races, however, I would have had to specifically state that I met an African American doctor for many of us to create that image in our minds. As Americans, we live in a society that promotes equality and that should transcend the boundaries of race, gender, and religion; however, in this one instance we see how quickly our assumptions of an individual can change by simply providing their race. I believe it is necessary to point out that it was neither racism nor stereotype that caused me to picture a white doctor, but rather it was the race to which I myself identify with that led me to that interpretation.
ReplyDeleteThat is very interesting, Hana. I don’t know who you’ve heard these warnings from, but I would have to disagree with them. Being a black gay male (and a commuter), I might be bias; however, I can generally agree with your claim that stereotyping exists due to factors that instill such behavior. Some that immediately come to mind include what’s been taught by parents, where a person lives, an individual’s exposure to minorities and other cultures, as well as one’s exposure to entertainment and media. In the case of your example, perhaps the officers were reacting to the situation based on their experiences with similar situations in the past. Regardless if this is true or not, assumptions were made of the student who couldn’t identify herself. You, however, didn’t specify whether the Campus Safety officers were white or black. I assumed they were black, just because I frequently see more black officers working at the gate than white officers, yet I began to doubt this, thinking it was far less likely for a black officer to stop and question a black student. BUT ALAS! I’ve struck yet another ground for further investigation: how quick are we to blanketly assume things like this? Again, due to the nature of their job, which is to ensure the safety of the Rhodes College campus and all its inhabitants, it’s hard to say. At the same time, I would hope the officers are checking every stranger equally, regardless of that individual’s race.
ReplyDeleteIn thinking about a black officer making an assumption of a black stranger or student, I began to wonder how we make assumptions of and stereotype individuals within our own race. What implementations does this act have? Is it justifiable, acceptable, and tolerable? A good number of Black comedians reference their very own communities to black-majority audiences in this way. Hennessy Youngman, who I mentioned in an earlier blog post, does this as well in his video “How to Become a Successful Black Artist”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3L_NnX8oj-g
It leaves me wondering- where can we draw the line between facts of observation and fallacy of assumption?
Great point Taylor, but what would you think if your current doctor and all the doctors you had previous were of another race than your own? Would you immediately tie a race to that word via your own racial identity or your experiences with a minority doctor? Just more fruit for thought.
JP
These real-life examples definitely bring up interesting points. As a white woman living in Memphis, studying at a private liberal arts college, it’s difficult at first to think of instances of racism or, at the very least, racial stereotyping because I live in the nice little Rhodes bubble. However, I’m just as guilty of stereotyping as Cecil’s friend who locked the door – I’ve definitely done that too, and I learned it from watching my mother do the same. But I also think environment has something to do with it as well – Memphis is historically a relatively volatile city with regard to racial and economic differences. For instance, I don’t feel the need to lock my car doors when I’m parking my car on the street in front of my house in northern Alabama – in a nice suburban neighborhood that includes neighbors of a number of different races and ethnicities. However, when I park my car off-campus in Memphis, I always double check to make sure the doors are locked regardless of whether I’m parked in front of a house on Tutwiler or in the Wolfchase parking lot. I definitely agree with Hannah that racial stereotypes could be considered as widespread racism. Racism and stereotyping often go hand-in-hand with each other, and it's frequently difficult to differentiate between them.
ReplyDeleteInterestingly enough Johnathan, the doctor I have seen for the majority of my life is an Asian female; however, if in conversation with another individual discussing his or her doctor’s appointment I would still picture not only a Caucasian doctor, but also I would envision a male Caucasian. When reading this post and comments on the role of racism and stereotypes in our lives, I find it fascinating that no one has mentioned the fact that a majority of these needs to lock our doors or to be cautious on the streets of Memphis stem from the fear of not just people of a specific race, but also of the stereotypes of the male gender.
ReplyDeleteHana, in your post you shared that because you were a white female living in Memphis, other people had warned you about the dangers that could arise from walking home alone or wandering the streets at night. This leads me to question, does it really matter that you are of the white race or is it merely because you are female? Like many other students at Rhodes, I am a white female, yet it is not because I am white that I am afraid to wander alone at night outside of our Rhodes bubble. It is instead when I am alone and encounter any stranger of the opposite sex that I actively think to do such things like hold onto my purse a little tighter. Are my actions encouraging racism or stereotyping? Yes and no. I was not taught to fear strangers because of their races, nor was I taught to fear other women. On the contrary, I was taught to accept the stereotype of the dangers of a male stranger.
I agree with the assumption that stereotypes are “something inherent that we all do”. Certainly, we often judge the book by its cover because we are dependent beings. That is why we have all this social settings available (Facebook , twitter) to maintain connected with the rest of the society. By stereotyping, we are able to separate, categorize, and identify the various events that happen through our daily lives. It is part of survival, as illogical as it sounds. Our personal, stereotypical belief is the byproduct of our mental protective system. For example, if I got robbed on Third Street at night, intuitively I will categorize that place and the residents that live there negatively. As a result, I will never visit alone if I will ever visit there again. In other words, I stereotyped that place and the people associated with that place based on one time experience. Is it wrong? Not necessarily. But I would say that does not give us a reason to hate. Racism is the byproduct of an individual’s hatred toward one race which leads to harming others. That is ignorance. It truly shows how limited and to a degree uncivilized that person is.
ReplyDeleteI think there is a very fuzzy line between someone being stereotypical and racist. I also believe that both exist in a lot of areas in today's society. While I agree that your friend could have been slightly racist in locking the door when the students walked by, it is not without reason. I grew up in a small St. Louis suburb with practically no crime. Most of my friends left their homes and cars unlocked. At school, many of us left our keys in the cup holder even. Nonetheless, even when I am at home, I still locked my doors. My parents always said that there is no reason to put yourself into that situation; why tempt someone to steal something out of your car? In addition, Memphis does not have such a great reputation. It is unfortunate that people here do chose to commit crimes, but those people are the root of the stereotypes and consequently racism that takes place in instances like your friends.
ReplyDeleteI think one difference that is important to note between stereotyping and racism, is the intent of the person who commits the either racist or stereotypical "act." Stereotypes are an extremely pervasive part of our culture and it would be impossible to try and ignore them. The things that we're taught from our own experiences, the media etc., all contribute to the way that we view other people. Although racism and stereotyping both tend to have negative connotations, I would argue that stereotyping is not necessarily negative unless it is used to discriminate against another group of people. We are constantly placing people that we see in schemas in our minds to help us organize the world that we live in. I feel like the intent of racism is to set a race apart from everyone else with no consideration of any other aspect of the person. But stereotyping typically considers a different aspect of a person, often unrelated to race. I would also argue that most stereotypes are not necessarily bad. They are often over-generalized but not hurtful.
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